Elizabeth D. Costa

Elizabeth D. Costa () is a Bangladeshi documentary filmmaker, director, producer, and screenwriter. She is known for her first feature documentary, Bangla Surf Girls (2021), which premiered at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and participated in the 2017 Chicken & Egg Accelerator Lab, as well as the 2017 IDFA Academy. She co-directed the short documentary 35th July – Bangladesh's Deadly Protest (2024), Bangladesh Truth Seekers (2026) for Al Jazeera.

Early life and education

Costa is Bangladeshi-born and raised and comes from a Christian minority background. She earned a degrees from Media Studies & Journalism from the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh. She was a participent for the 2020 Film Independent Documentary Lab with support from Global Media Makers and the U.S. Department of State.

Career

Costa began her career as an intern script supervisor for Bangladeshi filmmakers Tareque and Catherine Masud, working on films including The Clay Bird (2002). She later worked as a producer, director, assistant producer, editor, and cameraperson for various international media outlets, including BBC Media Action, NOS Television, VICE News UK, Spanish TV, and Bloomberg TV. She also worked as an assistant producer on Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's documentary A Journey of Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers. From 2016 to 2017, Costa worked as a communications advisor for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bangladesh.

Costa's first feature documentary, Bangla Surf Girls, was filmed over three years in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. It follows three teenage girls who join a local surf club and dream of freedom from traditional expectations and early marriage. The film had its world premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in 2021. It was selected for the Chicken & Egg 2017 Accelerator Lab and pitched at the Deal Makers forum at Hot Docs 2017. Costa participated in the Film Independent Documentary Lab in 2020, sponsored by Global Media Makers and the U.S. Department of State. She also attended the IDFA Academy in 2017.

In 2024, Costa co-directed the short documentary 35th July – Bangladesh's Deadly Protest for Al Jazeera's Witness program. The film follows photojournalist Jibon Ahmed as he documents the student-led protests in Bangladesh on 4 August 2024.

Costa has also conducted workshops for women filmmakers. In 2025, she co-led a four-day non-fiction storytelling workshop for Bangladeshi women filmmakers organised by Dhaka DocLab.

Filmography

Documentary films

• Bangla Surf Girls (2021) – director, producer, cinematographer
• 35th July – Bangladesh's Deadly Protest (2024) – co-director (with Adil Sakhawat and Tareq Ahmed)
• Bangladeshi Truth Seekers (2026) - Director

Producer

• Bangla Surf Girls (2021) – producer

Festival participation

Premieres

• Bangla Surf Girls – World Premiere at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival (2021)

Official selections

• Bangla Surf Girls – Human Rights Watch Film Festival (2022)
• Bangla Surf Girls – 3rd i San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival
• Bangla Surf Girls – newportFILM (2021)
• Bangla Surf Girls – ACT Human Rights Film Festival
• Bangla Surf Girls – Internationales Frauen Film Fest
• 35th July – Bangladesh's Deadly Protest – Bangladesh International Short and Independent Film Festival (BISIFF) (2025)

Awards and nominations

Bangla Surf Girls has received the following awards:

• Best Documentary – Coronado Island Film Festival (2021)
• Fearless Filmmaker Award – Coronado Island Film Festival (2021)
• Audience Award – What If? Women In Film Festival (2021)
• Best Film – Vancouver Asian Film Festival (2021)
• Best Director – Vancouver Asian Film Festival (2021)
• Best Feature Documentary – Bushwick Film Festival (2021)
• Best Surf Documentary – Paris Surf & Skateboard Film Festival (2021)
• Women in Surf Award – Portuguese Film Festival (2021)
• Best Feature – Oakville Festival of the Arts (2021)
• Accolade Award – Accolade Global Film Competition (2021)
• Runner-up, Best International Director – Oakville Film Festival
• Winner, Best Canadian Film – Oakville Film Festival

Other activities

Costa has served as a workshop conductor for non-fiction storytelling workshops for women filmmakers in Bangladesh. She has also participated in panel discussions and Q&A sessions following screenings of her films.

From 2016 to 2017, Costa worked as a communications advisor for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bangladesh.

External links

• (profile on Chicken & Egg Pictures)